Anubis Anubis by Stephanie Cass Anubis, who the ancient Egyptians called Ienpw (phonetically "Yinepu"), is the mysterious canid funerary deity of ancient Egypt. Even the meaning of his name is unknown -- speculations range from "Royal Child" to having derived from the world for "to putrefy". Both certainly fit the deity, who was at various points in time of Egyptian history known as the lord of the dead before Osiris and, later, became popularly known as the son of Osiris. Just what type of animal Anubis is represented by is unknown as well; definitely canid and most likely a jackal or a wild dog -- or a hybrid of both -- but, as in the case of Seth , with alterations that deliberately smudge the lines of reality. The deep black color Anubis's animal is not reflective of its actual coat but is instead symbolic of his position as a funerary deity. The reason for Anubis's animal being canid is based on what the ancient Egyptians themselves observed of the creature -- dogs and jackals often haunted the edges of the desert, especially the cemeteries where the dead were buried. Anubis is an extremely ancient deity.

The oldest mastabas of the Old Kingdom have prayers to him carved into their walls, and he is mentioned in the Pyramid Texts in his most celebrated role as a guardian and protector of the dead. A standard offering formula for the dead in the Old Kingdom began thusly: "An offering which the king gives and Anubis, who is upon his mountain and in the place of embalming, the lord of the necropolis...." As mentioned previously, Anubis began in the position that Osiris would later command. In the earliest period of Egyptian religion Anubis was clearly the lord of the dead and Osiris the embalmed god while Anubis performed the act of embalming. Titles that were invested unto Osiris -- such as Khenty-Imentiu or "Foremost of Westerners" -- were originally Anubis's. As the drama of Osiris's death and vindication unfolded over the centuries, Anubis assumed the role of the guide who holds steady the scales on which their hearts are measured against the feather of ma'at as "He Who Counts the Hearts".

Should the heart be light as the feather, the soul would then be lead by Anubis (or, in some cases, Harseisis) to be presented to Osiris. Should the heart be heavy, it is fed to Ammit and the soul destroyed. As Imy-ut, or "He Who is In the Place of Embalming", Anubis is the embalmer who washes the entrails of the dead and guards over their physical bodies as well as the places that house them (the tomb and the necropolis). Priests wearing a mask of Anubis were responsible for the Opening of the Mouth ceremony that reawakened a dead person's senses. In a reflection of the royal seal used on the tombs of the Valley of the Kings depicting pharaoh's victory over the "nine bows" (enemies of Egypt), Anubis is shown recumbent over nine bows meant to be hostile forces of the Underworld who he -- as "Jackal Ruler of the Bows" -- has triumphed over. Anubis's parentage is a mystery -- in one tradition he is the son of Nebt-het ( Nephthys ) and Ra .

In yet another, from the Coffin Text period, the cow goddess Hesat is his mother and, from the same source, Bastet is even accounted as his mother (most likely a pun on the ointment jars that comprise her hieroglyphs -- the same jars that were used during the embalming process Anubis was lord of). The Pyramid Texts even supply Anubis with a daughter in the form of the goddess Qeb-hwt ("Cooling Water") -- a celestial serpent or ostrich Who purifies and quenches the monarch. Anubis is depicted most often as a man with the head of a black canid with alert, pointed ears. He is also represented by a full black canid wearing ribbons and holding a flagellum in the crook of its arm. Very rarely is he ever shown fully human, though there are some cases (such as in the temple of Ramesses II of Abydos) of this. Perhaps the most famous representation of Anubis, the gold-gilded wooden canid found in the tomb of Tutankhamen, was doubtlessly placed there as a protector of the dead and guardian of the tomb.

Anubis was worshipped throughout Egypt, but the center of his cult was in Cynopolis (Upper Egypt). The name of Anubis in hieroglyphs. Article details: Anubis Anubis Anubis. Anubis is the Greek name of a god of Egyptian mythology whose name Inpou Anepou or "he who has the head of a jackal (or a wild dog)" in the hieroglyphic language. Associated with the funeral cult and the protection of the deceased, he is represented as a black canid (jackal or wild dog) or elongated like a man-headed canine. He accompanied the dead in the other world and protected their graves. Jackals and wild dogs roamed the desolate stretches where the cemeteries and necropolises were located. These marauders likely did not hesitate to dig up the corpses for food. So as to gain protection from these scavengers, the ancient Egyptians deified these animals and made offerings to them in order to gain their good graces. Anubis was the personification of these animals and during Pharaonic times was considered an important funerary deity.

He was often referred to by descriptive phrases such as Tï¿½py-djouf, "He who sits on the mountain"; Khenty-seh-Netjer, "President of the divine pavilion (which runs embalming) and Neb ta Djoser, "Lord of the Necropolis. From the Old Kingdom, Anubis presided over the ceremony of embalming and the opening of the eyes and mouth, thus repeating the miracle he had done for Osiris . From the Fifth Dynasty, Anubis was superseded by Osiris in this task and became the assistant. During embalming, the head priest-embalmers (the sï¿½shï¿½ta-Hery, "Higher Mysteries") wore a mask bearing the image of Anubis. On the walls of the first mastabas, one finds prayers for the survival of the body after death addressed to Anubis, and not yet Osiris. From the beginning of the Anubis cult, Anubis was both the guardian and guide of the deceased. Thus, one often finds at the entrance of the tombs two statues of Anubis, in the form of an elongated canine, facing each other.

These were meant to act as a barrier against the evil forces trying to disturb the eternal repose of the deceased. In pyramid texts, Anubis is the guide who led the deceased through the underworld to the hall of Maat , the divine court and ensured the smooth running of the weighing of the heart (the psychostasy). Also ruler of the dead, Anubis was quickly surpassed in this role by Osiris who gradually assimilated its most important powers and ended up making Anubis a second-place god. Anubis becomes the guardian of the gates of the kingdom of the dead and is sometimes depicted with a key in his hand,in his anthropomorphic form, or attached to a collar in his canine form. Anubis was the predominant funerary god and came to assimilate other related canine deities such as Wepwawet, Khentamentiou, and even the gods Ha, Amenti and Seker. The consort of Anubis is the goddess Anupet (Inpout or Anepout in Egyptian), canine goddess of funerals and the desert. His ancestry is unclear.

In some Egyptian myths, Anubis is said to be the fourth son of Ra, the son of Bastet or Hesat, illegitimate son of Osiris and Nephthys, or at a later age, that of Osiris and Isis. The most common tradition, narrated in the myth of Osiris, is that Anubis was in fact the result of illegitimate relations between Osiris and his sister Nephthys (wife of Seth). The latter, fearing the wrath of her husband, hid his offspring in the swamps. Although she knows her husband's infidelity, Isis (Osiris' wife) took the child, raised Anubis and made him one of her most faithful allies. After Seth had killed Osiris and scattered his remains, Anubis helped Isis and Nephthys to rebuild his body and presided over the first mummification. According to the papyrus Jumilhac (VI, 6-7), Anubis took its name from his mother Isis. We learn that his name "was pronounced with respect to wind, water and desert," which three words are the symbolic representations of the three hieroglyphs that make up the root name of Anubis.

Gods of Ancient Egypt: Anubis Gods of Ancient Egypt: Anubis Anubis is one of the most iconic gods of ancient Egypt. Anubis is the Greek version of his name, the ancient Egyptians knew him as Anpu (or Inpu). Anubis was an extremely ancient deity whose name appears in the oldest mastabas of the Old Kingdom and the Pyramid Texts as a guardian and protector of the dead. He was originally a god of the underworld, but became associated specifically with the embalming process and funeral rites. His name is from the same root as the word for a royal child, "inpu". However, it is also closely related to the word "inp" which means "to decay", and one versions of his name (Inp or Anp) more closely resembles that word. As a result it is possible that his name changed slightly once he was adopted as the son of the King, Osiris . He was known as "Imy-ut" ("He Who is In the Place of Embalming"), "nub-tA-djser" ("lord of the scared land"). He was initially related to the Ogdoad of Hermopolis, as the god of the underworld.

In the Pyramid Texts of Unas , Anubis is associated with the Eye of Horus who acted as a guide to the dead and helped them find Osiris. In other myths Anubis and Wepwawet (Upuaut) led the deceased to the halls of Ma´at where they would be judged. Anubis watched over the whole process and ensured that the weighing of the heart was conducted correctly. He then led the innocent on to a heavenly existence and abandoned the guilty to Ammit . The ancient Egyptians believed that the preservation of the body and the use of sweet-smelling herbs and plants would help the deceased because Anubis would sniff the mummy and only let the pure move on to paradise. According to early myths, Anubis took on and defeated the nine bows (the collective name for the traditional enemies of Egypt) gaining a further epithet "Jackal ruler of the bows". The growing power of the Ennead of Heliopolis resulted in the merging of the two religious systems. However, Osiris was the King of the Underworld in the Ennead and he was more popular (and powerful) than Anubis. So Anubis was relegated to a god of mummification.

To save face it was stated that Anubis had voluntarily given up his position when Osiris died as a mark of respect. Some myths even stated that Anubis was the son of Osiris and Nephthys (who was herself associated with the funeral rites). Anubis was still closely involved in the weighing of the heart, but was more a guardian than a ruler. He became the patron of lost souls, including orphans, and the patron of the funeral rites. In this respect he overlapped with (and eventually absorbed) the Jackal God Wepwawet of Upper Egypt . During the Ptolemaic Period Anubis became associated with the Greek god Hermes as the composite god Hermanubis. Hermes was messenger of the gods, while Anubis was principally guide of the dead. Hermanubis was some times given attributes of Harpokrates. He was worshipped in Rome until the second century and was popular with Rennaisance alchemists and philosophers. Priests wore Anubis masks during mummification. However, it is not clear whether the Anubis mask was a later development influenced by the Osirian myth or whether this practice was commonplace in the earlier periods too.

Anubis was also closely associated with the imiut fetish used during the embalming ritual. Anubis was credited with a high level of anatomical knowledge as a result of embalming, and so he was the patron of anaesthesiology and his priests were apparently skilled herbal healers. Tombs in the Valley of the Kings were often sealed with an image of Anubis subduing the "nine bows" (enemies of Egypt) as "Jackal Ruler of the Bows" and it was thought that the god would protect the burial physically and spiritually. One of his epithets, "tpy-djuf" ("he who is on his mountain") refers to him guarding the necropolis and keeping watch from the hill above the Theban necropolis. He was also given the epithet "khentyamentiu" ("foremost of the westerners" i.e. the dead) because he guarded the entrance to the Underworld. He was originally thought to be the son of Ra and Hesat , Ra's wife (who was identified with Hathor ), but later myths held that he was the child of Osiris and Nephthys, or Set and Nephthys.

He was sometimes described as the son of Bast because of her link to the perfumed oils used in embalming. His wife, Anput (his female aspect) was only really referred to in association with the seventeenth nome of Upper Egypt. It is thought that they were the parents of Kebechet , the goddess of the purification. Dogs and jackals often patrolled the edges of the desert, near the cemeteries where the dead were buried, and it is thought that the first tombs were constructed to protect the dead from them. Anubis was usually thought of as a jackal (sAb), but may equally have been a wild dog (iwiw) He was usually depicted as a man with the head of a jackal and alert ears, often wearing a red ribbon, and wielding a flail. He was sometimes depicted as a jackal (such as in the beautiful examples from the tomb of Tutankhamun ) but only rarely appears as a man (one example is in the cenotaph temple of Rameses II at Abydos). His fur was generally black (not the brown associated with real jackals) because black was associated with fertility, and was closely linked to rebirth in the afterlife.

In the catacombs of Alexandria he was depicted wearing Roman dress and the sun disk flanked by two cobras. Anubis was worshipped throughout Egypt, but the center of his cult was in Hardai (Cynopolis) in the the seventeenth nome of Upper Egypt. To the east of Saqqara there was a place known as Anubeion, where a shrine and a cemetery of mummified dogs and jackals was discovered. He was also worshipped at cult centers in Abt (the the eighth nome of Upper Egypt) and Saut (Asyut, in the thirteenth nome of Upper Egypt). copyright J Hill 2010 Who is Anubis? Who is Anubis? Posted In: Ancient Civilizations 8/24/07 By: Yona Williams As one of the most recognizable of ancient Egyptian gods and goddesses, Anubis possesses distinctive features and is recognized as the God of Embalming. In this article, you will learn a little more about his appearance and duties. Throughout history, Anubis was known by many different names, including Anpu, Inpu, Ienpw, and Imeut (Lord-of-the-Place-of-Embalming).

His connections to Egyptian culture and belief were mummification, as he guided the dead on their path through the Underworld. While he appeared as a man, he had the head of a jackal-like creature. Much different from a real jackal, Anubis' head was black, which stood for his station as a god of the deceased. Rarely is the god seen as a full human, but when he is placed within the Temple of Abydos of Rameses II, this is the form he is presented as. At the tomb of Tutankhamun, a striking statue of Anubis as a full jackal was found. As one of the most ancient of Egyptian gods, Anubis was the original god of the dead before Osiris assumed the position. After this transition, Anubis became one of the many sons of his successor and gained the responsibilities as conductor of souls of the Underworld. His totem is of the jackel, which is thought to represent the animals (jackals) that hunted by the edges of the desert, close to the final resting places of Egyptians and other cemeteries throughout the country.

Inhabitants would send off their prayers to Anubis, which have been found carved about most of the ancient tombs in Egypt. Researchers have learned that Anubis was responsible for numerous duties. Anubis would watch over the mummification process to make sure that everything was completed, as it should. He then led the souls through the Underworld and along the way would test their knowledge about the gods and their faith. He then places the hearts of the deceased on what was known as the Scales of Justice, which was part of the Judging of the Heart process. If the souls were deemed wicked, Anubis would feed their souls to Ammit. There are many different stories associated with Anubis. His parentage is also of question, as some tales state he is the son of Ra and Nephthys ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ sometimes Set and Nephthys ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â€šÂ¬Ã¢â‚¬Å“ which is thought a result of sharing the same totem animal with Set. This fact alone attests to how ancient Anubis is within history.

In regards to the process of mummification, Anubis receives help from his daughter named Kabechet. Throughout Egypt, Anubis is widely worshipped with his cult center situated in Cynopolis. He is also seen within other origins. For example, Anubis appears as Hermanubis, who is a combination of the Greek god, Hermes and Anubis. This entity makes appearances within the alchemical and hermetical literature hailing from the Middle Ages and the Renaissance. Egyptian God Anubis Anubis by Frater Q.V. The patron god of embalming, guide of the Underworld was Anubis. Known as friend of the dead and Opener of the Way, Anubis was a deity that could be seen throughout all of ancient Egypt. . The name of this god is traditionally spelled (Inpu). The name here is read left to right, with an abbreviated image of Anubis finishing. Often, as with many of Egypt’s deities, the spelling of the name changes but one characteristic stays the same: the jackal at the end. In some cases the jackal is raised up on a pedestal to show its holy importance.

As the Hieroglyph indicates, Anubis is commonly seen as a Jackal. It’s believed that the jackal was chosen as the iconic figure for this deity due to the necropolis where the wild dogs of ancient times would often prowl to hunt for food. Some say that Anubis took the form of a jackal to help Isis and Nephthys search for the pieces of Osiris’s body. According to legend, and the story does vary, the brother of Osiris, Seth, lured Osiris into an elaborate coffin and had it sealed shut then threw the box into the Nile where it washed up on the Phoenician coast. Isis then retrieved her husband’s body. When Seth learned of this he had Osiris’s body cut up into pieces and scattered throughout Egypt. It was then that Isis and her sister Nephthys in the form of Kite birds, and with Anubis in his jackal form, found all the parts of his body except the phallus.

With the help of Thoth, the body was restored and Anubis wrapped it in linen; giving him the name “He Who is in the Place of Embalming.” Although there is some debate on the true animal that gave rise to the form of Anubis – some claim that the thick tail of the figure suggests that a jackal hybrid is the proper image – a jackal is always present in his form somehow. Many statues of Anubis were simply of a jackal upon a pedestal; as seen in most of the homes and villages of the kingdom. Often he was adorned with a golden tie or necklace. Though usually in temple settings, Anubis is depicted having a human body with the head of a jackal and tail of a lion. Since the time of the first Egyptologists, this is the most commonly accepted form of Anubis. The skin of Anubis is often seen as very dark black or with a tinge of red. His flesh is a representation of the earthy energies with which he is connected. The color of his flesh is similar to that of the dark soil along the Nile. This rich, fertile soil was highly prized and gave the ancient kingdom the name Khem, which means “The Black Land”.

The color of Anubis could be an identifying link to Osiris, who’s green flesh represents the fertile fields. Anubis’s heritage is one of debate among historians. Some scholars suggest that Anubis is the son of Nephthys and Set. Another legend states that Anubis was spawned from Nephthys and Osiris. Both legends have equal understandings due to the connections that Anubis has through Nephthys and the Underworld. An interesting fact is that Anubis can be seen in two different forms, as Anubis and as Wepewat. As the mother of Anubis, Nephthys can be seen depicted with him in the Book of the Dead most often. She is usually seen as a goddess of night time and of darkness; this darkness could be the reason for the color of his skin. Being a goddess of darkness she is in opposition to her sister Isis, but maintains a friendly nature with her and Osiris. Nephthys and Isis worked together to find Osiris and bring him back from the dead and they stand behind him in the Hall of Truth to give eternal life to the deceased.

It is said that Nephthys longed for the relationship and love that Osiris shared with Isis, so she disguised herself as Isis and seduced him. Osiris, son of Geb and Nuit, brother of Nephthys, Set, and Isis, father of Horus and (possibly) Anubis. Osiris is the god of the Underworld and Nephthys is the protector of the body of the deceased, mourning for the loss of her brother at the foot of his bier. One version of the Anubis legend states that Nephthys took on the form of Osiris’s beautiful wife Isis and tricked him into making love to her; this would make Anubis the half brother of Horus. The connection to Horus can be seen in the later years of Anubis worship when he was joined with – or at times replaced by – Horus; which was possibly a political move by the priests of that time. Nephthys is often depicted as being a goddess of the night time and of darkness; her union with Osiris would be a great balance of light and darkness to create Anubis, who represents both light and darkness.

Osiris is the god of the Underworld, death, the Nile floods, and immortality. As stated before his green skin is a link to the fertility of the Nile – though some say his green flesh depicts a rotting corpse – which makes an obvious link the dark soil-colored flesh of Anubis. The legend of Osiris states that Anubis was the priest who oversaw the funeral rites of Osiris, embalmed and mummified him perfectly so that his body withstood the influence of time and decay. In the funerary rites for deceased Egyptians a priest was present wearing the mask of Anubis to assist in the Opening of the Mouth ceremony. The legend of Anubis being the offspring of Set and Nephthys is also understandable. Set is the god of darkness, night time, destruction, storms, and the barren desert. In the early days of Egypt he was seen as a friend of the dead but was later demonized. His form is that of a mysterious animal that resembles a cross between a jackal and an aardvark (over a decade ago, there was an animal caught and killed by peoples of the Salawa region that resembled the mythical Set creature, but there has been no further investigation).

Set is said to be the wife of Nephthys; and being married to the god of such wickedness one could understand why she envied Isis. The natures of both Nephthys and Set make them fitting parents for the secondary form of Anubis called Wepawet; also seen as a jackal or wolf hybrid. Wepawet was originally seen as a god of war. His name could be seen on a military standard called a shedshed which lead armies into battle. This may have become the very meaning for his name, Wepawet, meaning “Opener of the ways”. The task of guiding the deceased through the underworld was shared between Wepawet and Anubis.. Images of Wepawet can be seen at Abydos where his standard held up the box which contained the head of Osiris. The two jackal headed deities were originally seen as one deity but have eventually become two separate forms; Anubis of the East and Anubis of the West, as seen in the Kerux and Sentinel. As guide of the Underworld, Anubis takes the soul of the deceased before the gods to give the negative confession.

When the journey through the Underworld was nearly complete, the deceased was taken to the Hall of Ma’at to be judged. Anubis watched over the beam of the scale to see that it was in the proper position while Thoth recorded the result. Anubis also took care that the dreaded Ammut – a beast made up of the head of a crocodile, front of a lioness, and the hind-quarters of a hippopotamus - could not devour the heart, causing the soul to be restless for all eternity. After weighing the heart, if the deceased is found to be true of voice through its trials and negative confessions, Anubis brings them before Osiris to join him in immortality. These show obvious evidence of Anubis’s connection to the god of the Underworld. Some of the tools of Anubis are the Phoenix Wand, or Was scepter, and the Ankh. The Was scepter represents the rebirth and resurrection from death. There is a belief, however, that the Was scepter is directly linked to the power and strength of Set due to the oblong head of the wand and forked tail or prongs.

The Ankh is the obvious symbol of life and could be referring to the eternal life that awaits the true of voice. With the image of Set in one hand and the symbol of life in the other, we can see that Anubis is balanced with both positive and negative forces. This balance makes him an excellent god to watch over the beam of the balance of Truth. In our tradition, Anubis can be found in the roles of the Kerux and the Sentinel. Both officers wear the form of Anubis, but there are two different forms. The two are Anubis of the East (Anwusi-G m-PeioT) and Anubis of the West (Anwubi m-RemnT). Anubis of the East is worn by the Kerux and is seen as the Watcher of the gods. He guides the candidates during their journey while also guarding the inside of the temple. Anubis of the West is worn by the Sentinel, who stands outside the temple and is armed with a deadly weapon. Anubis of the West is called the Watcher Without, guarding the outside of the temple. He is in charge of the candidate waiting to be admitted into the temple.

Anubis of the West can be attributed to another jackal headed god by the name of Wepawet (the opener of the ways). Anubis is the guide and opener of the way. He is the protector and friend of the dead overseeing the deceased to the weighing of the heart. His mother is Nephthys but his father is uncertain. Either way, Anubis is a deity that shows perfect balance between mercy and severity. Wonderfully, he oversees the candidate in the Hall of the Neophyte or the Hall of Ma’at. Unlike the other gods of Ancient Egypt, Anubis doesn’t have a specific cult center. His worship was common in both Upper and Lower Egypt. Even today, when someone hears the name of Anubis they think of the jackal headed god and desert sands. Truly a figure head for all of Egypt, Anubis has opened the way for Ancient Egypt and given it eternal life. Anubis Anubis Features: Tall human male with the head of a jackal Source: Egyptian Mythology Habitat: Tombs and cemeteries The Anupu was a large, tall and human-like creature with the black head of a jackal.

The darkness of the head symbolized the color of rotting flesh and the black soil of the Nile Valley. This significant dark soil represented rebirth. His main role was to guard the tombs and cemeteries of the dead and protect them during their journey to the afterlife. With the merging of different religious beliefs, other gods took the place of and eventually lessened this creature’s importance. Nevertheless, he was made the patron god of embalmers. During the ceremonies of funerary rites, priests would adorn the black mask of a jackal. In other accounts, this god of the dead was represented with the full, black jackal form wearing a ribbon and holding a flail. Statues were made of this version and placed over tombs for added protection into the afterlife. Anubis - in the movies THE MUMMY RETURNS 2001 Starring Brendan Fraser, Rachel Weisz and John Hannah. In this movie, the Scorpion King swears an oath to Anupu and exchanges his soul for the power to defeat all of his enemies. This god of the underworld provides the Scorpion King with countless legions of jackal headed warriors to carry out his revenge. They sweep across Egypt destroying everything in their path.

The powerful god of the underworld then takes the Scorpion King’s soul and his army. An Egyptian cult resurrects Imhotep to use his powers to defeat the Scorpion King. This is carried out with the goal of having Imhotep in charge of the Scorpions King’s deadly army of jackal headed humanoid soldiers. ANUBIS - IN GAMING Producers – HI-REZ STUDIOS In this game, this Egyptian god of the dead has exceptional battle skills. Plague of Locusts - He can spray a huge swarm of locusts at his enemies and overcome them. Mummify - He can throw numerous wraps at once towards his challengers and mummify them in place. Grasping Hands - He has the power to open a portal to the underworld and unleash the dead that claw and grab at the surface taking down anyone they touch with their corpse-like hands. Death Gaze - Since he is able to channel much evil power, he can channel this energy and unleash a gaze of pure evil power that destroys anything in his sight. Come on - watch some of the action! The video below was contributed by iGamrGeekTV. New! Comments Did you like this page?

Do you have something to share about what you just read? Please share your comments with us in the box below. Cynocephaly and the mythological dog-headed human | Ancient Origins 17 January, 2015 - 12:22 mrreese Cynocephaly and the mythological dog-headed human (Read the article on one page) The characteristic of Cynocephaly describes the head of a dog upon a human body. This trait is a theme upon which there are several variations, with representations showing up in several cultures and legends. Tales of human forms with a dog-like head have been told from ancient Egypt, to ancient Greek, medieval, and Christian stories. These tales, eliciting both fear and fascination, are like an ancient form of a monster tale, often invoking the idea that cynocephaly is not just a myth or legend, but an actual race of creatures living here on Earth. The appearance of cynocephaly in stories throughout the ages illustrates the ubiquitous nature of the creatures, and the flexibility of an image that continuously reoccurs with a similar appearance, but varying stories.

The most basic description of cynocephaly is that it is the image of a human figure that has the head of a dog, or, in some instances, a jackal. This is not to be confused with images of werewolves. Werewolves are a creature where the human forms transforms into a dog-like head and body. Some believe that werewolves and cynocephalic creatures are somehow related, but they are more likely two separate types of creatures that happen to share some dog-like traits. The name cynocephaly sounds much more like an actual disease than a depiction of an image or a human with a dog head shown in prehistoric drawings and renderings. The name is derived from the Greek language, in which cyno- means dog and –cephaly means a disease or condition of the head. Put together, cynocephaly is a disease or condition where the head is in the form of a dog. Man with a dog head. Nuremberg Chronical (Schedel'sche Weltchronik), page XIIr, 1493 AD. ( Wikimedia Commons ) Images depicting cynocephaly date as far back as ancient Egyptian times.

Ancient Egyptian gods Hapi and Anubis were both depicted in the cynocephaly form, with a human body and a dog head, or in the case of Anubis, a jackal. These images were depicted standing and wearing clothing, giving the appearance that in spite of the dog head, these gods are, in essence, humans. It is unknown why these figures are depicted with the head of a dog, but their presence in Egyptian drawings certainly spread to later cultures that followed. Marble statue of Anubis, Vatican Museum ( Wikimedia Commons ) Greek physician Ctesias wrote of a dog-headed figure called Indici in India in the 5 th century BC. Later, the Greek Megasthenes returned from travels to India with tales of a race of cynocephaly living in the mountains of India. This dog-headed race of people would hunt in the mountains while wearing animal skins, and would communicate through barking sounds. Such stories of sub-human creatures would likely invoke many emotions, including fear, fascination, intrigue, and terror. Cynocephaly continued far beyond ancient Egyptian and Greek times, also appearing in some works of medieval literature.

Their existence and origin were questioned in City of God, Book XVI, Chapter 8, written by Augustine of Hippo. The Christians had the story of the "Abominable" who had the face of a dog and lived in a city of cannibals. Once baptized, the doglike features disappeared. The Eastern Orthodox Church viewed Saint Christopher as having the head of a dog, which may have been the result of a misinterpretation of the word Cananeus to say canineus, or canine. Later, German bishop and poet Walter of Speyer wrote of Saint Christopher as a large cynocephalic figure from the Chananeans that barked and consumed human flesh. When the cynocephalic Christopher met Christ, he chose to be baptized, at which point he shed his doglike appearance and began a life devoted to God. This idea that the figure with a doglike appearance would become fully human upon being baptized and accepting god is a story that repeats, illustrating that to the Christians, the doglike appearance was a negative feature, a punishment of sorts that could only be eliminated by choosing to follow a certain set of religious beliefs.

Saint Christopher with the head of a dog ( Wikimedia Commons ) Images of cynocephaly continued through medieval culture in a book called Historia gentis Langobardorum, written by Paul the Deacon. Again, the doglike appearance was considered un-Christian as it was applied to the Norse at the court of Charlemagne. The Nowell Codex, which is the script that contains the story of Beowulf, also contained references to the cynocephalic, with portions referring to "healfhundingas" or "half-dogs." The idea spread into Anglo-Saxon England, where outlaws were referred to as wulfes heafod (“wolf’s head”), again giving the impression that the image of a human body with a dog’s head is an inherently negative trait, meant to refer to an outcast of society. Even the tales of King Arthur refer to cynophaly, as King Arthur’s men fight hundreds of the cynophalic creatures, and the stories morph into tales including werewolves.

Pages BBC - History - Ancient History in depth: Ancient Egyptian Gods Gallery Ancient Egyptian Gods Gallery Print this page Anubis Anubis was embodied in the jackal, or wild dog, that the Egyptians often saw scavenging in cemeteries: hence he was associated with the dead. He was depicted as a black jackal-like creature, or as a man with a jackal's head. Early on in Egyptian history, before Osiris rose to prominence, Anubis was the great funerary god, lord and guardian of the necropolis. Prayers for the dead were addressed to him. He carried out the first mummification of the body of Osiris, and therefore became patron-god of embalmers. It was Anubis who guided the dead on the paths of the Underworld.

Question: The Egyptian god Anubis has the head of which creature?
Answer: Jackal